The present invention relates to user access systems and service provider host systems for data and service networks, particularly but not exclusively for use with the Internet/World Wide Web, and to means for initiating and managing communications of a user.
Recent years have seem a rapid increase in the amount of data available to a user via data network coupling to remote server, with cheap browser packages for home personal computer (PC) users and dedicated (and cheaper) access mechanisms such as WebTV greatly increasing the number of people on-line. A number of examples of network access and server systems, whether for the Internet or on a smaller local area network (LAN), are described in the introduction to EP-A-0 732 660 (Kambayashi et al/Toshiba) which relates to a mechanism for providing a degree of personalisation in service provision.
In the system described, a number of client systems (for example home users) are enabled to access, via network, data stored by a server. Each of these users is registered with the server having provided to it certain personal details such as an e-mail address and/or telephone number and optionally also a photograph. In operation, when a user is accessing a particular store or field of data held by the server, the server provides to the user a list of those other users concurrently accessing the data, perhaps providing an on-screen display of the photographs of those registered users.
As the number of devices having means to access servers, applications, other users and so forth using networks such as the Internet continues to grow, as well as the number of assets and service provider types, the greater the number of interface configurations a user is likely to be faced with during the course of the working day, and the greater the number of protocols and procedures for registration of a device as a system client the user will be required to navigate. This obviously can lead to confusion and inefficiency for the user who would then be likely to remember how to access only a small part of the functionalities available to him.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means whereby a user is provided with greater uniformity in his dealings with remote devices, whilst not being required to learn a great deal more control instructions.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a network communications system comprising a plurality of configurations of user stations, each comprising respective processing and display means, and a plurality of service provider host systems coupled via a data network, wherein at least some of the user stations are registered as client stations with a first service provider host system, said first host system including storage means maintaining a database of registered client station user. identification data; characterised in that each client station of a single user is arranged to access said plurality of service provider host systems via said first host system, and said first host system is arranged to format data to be sent to any client station of said single user according to a pre-stored format for that user.
In this network communications system, on registration of a new user, the host system is suitably arranged to generate a digital password, transmit the said password to the client station currently used by the user via the data network, and store the said password with details of the new user within the said database. In such a case, on registration of a new client station for an existing registered user, the first host system is preferably configured to link the user details to the new client details on receiving the password from the user via the new client station, thereby avoiding the user having to repeat a full registration procedure for each device they own.
Each client station may be arranged to identify one or more of its functional capabilities to the first host system, with host system being arranged to modify the formatting of data sent to said client where said functional capabilities preclude use of said pre-stored format. These functional capabilities may include supported image resolution for a display device of the user station, with the first host system then being arranged to set the resolution of display data sent to said user station accordingly. In this way, a reduction in data traffic is achieved by not sending high resolution colour images to, for example, a basic pager.
The first host system storage means may hold a plurality of data assets for a given user, which assets are made available to each client station of that user. The first host system storage means may then be operable, on receipt of a predetermined command from the given user, to make available one or more of these data assets (for example an address book utility) to a further user identified by the given user.
Further in accordance with the present invention there is provided a data network browser configured as a user station for use in the network communications system described above, the browser comprising a data processor coupled with a network interface and an output for driving a display, the browser further comprising an actuator coupled with a store holding the network address of said first host system and being configured, on user operation of said actuator, to establish connection to said first host system via said network.
Still further in accordance with the present invention there is provided a network server for use as said first service provider host system in a network communications system as recited above, the server comprising a first storage means maintaining a database of registered user and user client station identification data, and means to identify messages from a particular user, to recall from store a specified message format for that user, and to convert, prior to transmission, all messages to that user to the specified format.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: